New Mexico Historical Timeline
- 1540: Francisco Vásquez de Coronado explores the area that is now New Mexico
- 1598: Juan de Oñate leads a group of Spanish colonists to New Mexico and establishes Santa Fe
- 1680: Pueblo Revolt: The Pueblo Indians revolt against Spanish rule
- 1692: Don Diego de Vargas leads a Spanish reconquest of New Mexico
- 1821: Mexico gains independence from Spain, and New Mexico becomes part of Mexico
- 1846: The United States declares war on Mexico
- 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War, and New Mexico becomes part of the United States
- 1850: New Mexico Territory is created
- 1861: New Mexico Territory secedes from the Union and joins the Confederate States of America
- 1862: Union forces occupy Santa Fe, and New Mexico Territory is restored to the Union
- 1912: New Mexico becomes the 47th state of the United States
- 1943: The Manhattan Project begins in Los Alamos, New Mexico
- 1945: The United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, ending World War II
- 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink of nuclear war
- 1969: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon, and their lunar module is named “Eagle” after the state bird of New Mexico
Important Legislation
- The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): ceded New Mexico and other territory to the United States
- The New Mexico Enabling Act (1910): admitted New Mexico as a state
- The Atomic Energy Act (1946): established the Atomic Energy Commission and gave it control over nuclear weapons research and development
- The Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water (1963):banned all nuclear weapons tests except for those conducted underground
Important Court Cases
- Cohens v. Virginia (1821): established the principle of judicial review
- “McCulloch v Maryland” (1819): established the principle of implied powers
- Gibbons v. Ogden (1824): established the principle of federal supremacy
- Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): ruled that African Americans were not citizens and could not sue in federal court
- Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): upheld the doctrine of “separate but equal”
- Brown v. Board of Education (1954): overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional
Major Industry
- Nuclear weapons research and development
- Tourism
- Agriculture
- Mining
Impact on the Rest of the Country
- New Mexico played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
- The state is home to several important military installations, including Los Alamos National Laboratory and White Sands Missile Range.
- New Mexico’s unique culture and landscape have made it a popular destination for tourists.